National Home of Miners' Descendants
In the 1920s, Sir Patrick Abercrombie’s ‘Vilego’ plan aimed to house mineworkers at Snowdown Colliery. The coal industry’s decline and the 1980s Miner’s Strikes have left a lasting impact. This project offers affordable, sustainable living for multi-generational families, integrating into Aylesham’s infrastructure and history with ‘Affordable’, ‘Green’, and ‘Collective’ living.
The Bale House prototype is self-buildable, allowing families who left in the 1920s to return to a revitalised neighbourhood. It preserves Aylesham’s heritage and spirit, re-establishing connections in a historically scarred landscape. Using straw bales and recycled materials, mineworkers’ descendants can build their homes, passing down identity, ancestry, and prosperity to future generations.
